Neuropathy is a very complex disorder and literally it means ‘a nerve dysfunction’ and these typically come from diabetes. Diabetic neuropathy is very common. The second most common thing that we see are neuropathies that come from chemotherapy. We’ve worked with dozens and dozens of those.
We have a very broad approach to neuropathy treatment in that it’s about an eight component system. The way we start when a patient comes in is we check their spines to see if their central nervous system is healthy and intact because how can your peripheral nervous system in your hands and feet be healthy if you don’t get signals from your spine. So that’s the traditional chiropractic thing that we do, we find those disorders.
Next we want to see what kind of nutritional status this patient has. What do they eat? Many of our older patients don’t eat much at all. They eat frozen TV dinners, they don’t get many vitamins or minerals and they don’t eat their fruits and vegetables. So we coach them on changing their lifestyle.
We also have a metabolic support that we get that is designed for each patient so it customizes the nutrients that they need to make their nervous system healthy.
We have a series of specialized nerve stimulators. They were created for us and we have the ability to set different frequencies that are known to stimulate and help these nerves regain their health. We also encourage a patient to take one of these home and use it at home once we’ve trained them.
Then my favorite is our cold laser. We actually use the strongest cold laser available in the industry. It is what they call a class IV cold laser. Once we started using cold laser about five or six years ago we just were astounded at the changes that we could see. It literally goes into the cell, every cell in the body that we shoot it at and it stimulates the mitochondria in that cell. Mitochondria is the energy center of the cell. So once we stimulate it then it literally wakes up the cell and it starts to produce energy in that cell and sick cells need energy to heal. So it starts that healing process. It promotes the inflow of hemoglobin and as you know from high school biology, hemoglobin carries oxygen. And so if you can get energy in a cell, if you can get nutrition in a cell and if you can get oxygen, it can heal. So the cold laser is just something that has just been amazing. It startles us almost every time we treat different things with it.
We have two massage therapists on staff. It is crucial to get in there and loosen up these muscles and do what they call a ‘lymphatic drainage.’ Many of these people have swollen ankles, their feet are all swollen. Their skin has been swollen for so long that it is just rigid. But these therapists can make it soft again, they can make it mobile and more flexible.
Then we have an exercise therapist here who works with them. In many cases, just very simply to help them get some of their balance back. Just help them learn to have enough strength to get up out of a chair. How to have enough strength to just get in and out of the car. Some of these patients are on walkers. They come in and they haven’t driven in six months and it’s exciting to see them drive a car again. One of my patients right now is eighty-two and she had not driven in about eight months after chemo. Well she’s driving now and she’s very very proud of herself. She is still on a walker but now at home she is off the walker. She told me this week that her dream is that she wants to be able to mow her lawn. So we’ve got a new goal for her, not my goal for me personally but we’re helping her to do that to make her feel good.
So these cases are challenging but they are also rewarding. I would encourage anyone that has had these kind of problems for months or years or maybe decades and just no success to look into some of the alternatives. Don’t just give up because it is very rare that we can’t help patients. I hope to talk to some of you in the future. Remember you can reach us at (512) 250-2225 right here in Austin, Texas. Have a good day!
Founded in 1983, Creating Wellness Chiropractic led by Dr. Michael McClung, believes in a whole-body holistic treatment approach to health and wellness. Our treatments incorporate leading technology with proven traditional chiropractic techniques. We have developed a proven, reliable method of pain management that has made us a leader in the field and your go-to option when the pain is just too much to bear. Dr. Michael McClung can be reaches at (512) 250-2225 and is located at 13376 Research Blvd., Austin, TX 78750.
